I’m getting ready to leave Boston this evening, but my flight is delayed so I’ve got time to write a few words about the trip.

Boston Logan at night

I got in to town late Friday night as planned, though it was even later than expected thanks to a United delay. I slept in on Saturday – sort of – and wandered down to packet pickup, where I was met with a multi-hour security line. Figuring that most people at an event like this were likely to be Type-A personalities making damn sure they got their race number as soon as they could, I went back to my hotel – The Boston Custom House – and took a nap. When I went back towards the end of the day, I was able to walk through security without even stopping. I went out for a nice dinner with my parents and turned in for the evening.

Sunrise over Boston Logan International.

Sunday was a laid back, 80-degree day. A little wandering down to the water, and a beer up on the observation deck of the Custom House was about it for the itinerary. The forecast for race day was hot and humid, and I kept going back and forth between going for it and just doing a fun run. By the end of the evening I decided on going for it, and slept poorly as a result of the excitement.

Looking northwest from the Boston Custom House

The race was a hot one. I have nothing unique to add from any other race report, so I won’t go in to much detail. It was close to 70 by the start, with a gentle tailwind to keep any sort of cooling breeze from helping. I gave it a go for the first ten miles, and backed off when it became clear I was not setting a PR. I focused on enjoying myself and the experience, and not completely wrecking myself. Despite a pretty ugly time, I’m thrilled to have run the Boston Marathon, something I never ever thought I would qualify for.

I’ve walked 20 miles in the past two days and my legs are still pretty tight, so I’m glad I backed off when I did. It’s been a great time, and Boston is an amazing city. I look forward to coming back and visit, but in the mean time I’m looking on to Leadville. More trail and hiking miles, more cycling, and less time pounding flat pavement. Four months from this moment, I’ll be hours away from the end of the Leadman series. It’s sure – if nothing else – to be memorable.

It’s hard to believe, but Boston is coming up quick. Harder to believe is that Boston, formerly my A-race – and probably only race of the season – is essentially a warm up for what’s to come. Training is going well, hitting 50mpw consistently (if you count the miles from climbing and skiing Grays Peak a week ago) including a weekly 19+ mile run, along with a decent road ride each week and some light weights.

Last Saturday (Feb 18) I went up to Grays Peak for some exercise, and ran in to Chris Tomer on the summit. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years and have been trying to connect, so that was a fun surprise. Despite gigantic sastrugi, the skiing was very pleasant and even went continuous from summit to car.

On the summit of Grays Peak Photo: Chris TomerMike skiing in front of a sun dog Photo: Chris TomerChris skiing on Grays Peak

Weather and life have made it difficult to keep consistent, and this coming week will probably be tougher.

I’ve settled on a couple gear decisions, the main one being bike choice – I’m going to stick with my FS trail bike, make a couple upgrades, and get some race tires. A new race bike would be nice but just isn’t in the budget. I’m still figuring out shoes, both run and bike. Beyond that, trying to schedule my spring/summer training around family, work, skiing, and races is my current focus on the Leadman front.

This will likely be my last year with a good level of run fitness. I qualified for the Boston Marathon at Colfax last year, and am currently getting ready for that. Then I figured, “what the hell, I’ll do the Leadville Trail Marathon again, and see if I can pick up a qualifying spot for the LT100.” Then I saw that there were a few remaining spots for the Leadman competition, which, among other things, includes an entry to the LT100 run. And bike. And 50. And marathon. And because the organizers may be mildly sadistic, a 10km the day after the LT100 bike.

And so one of those days that seems to come along every few years, when I make a decision that I know I’ll regret before I ever even commit. Expect some snapshots and updates once in a while, along with some potentially-rambling thoughts about what I’ve gotten myself in to. I’ve got a big summer ahead, with lots of running, cyling, and big days in the mountains. In any given week for the next couple months, I’ll be trying to run about 50 miles, get in a decent bike ride or two, and spend a day in the mountains. Last week was a down week, with only 27 miles ran and a cold road ride.

A ski flag, seen in Kerr Gulch yesterday.

Back to normal (?) this week, and hopefully weather this weekend will cooperate. It’s certainly been weird lately.

It’s been a tough spring in Colorado for weekend warriors. It finally started snowing after a dry winter, but weekend storms have been pretty typical. We’re late in to the season and I’ve been trying to convince anyone I could to take advantage of expected weather windows. Fortunately, Jeff is on the same page, and was eager to get out. We agreed there was an early-morning weather window worth taking advantage of, so I packed, set my alarm for 1:30, and got ready for a quick morning in the mountains.

Less than two weeks ago, Markus found himself in need of a cook with strong backcountry skiing abilities and the ability to cook for a group of 20 day-in and day-out, and who could leave the country and be out of cell and email range for a week on almost no notice. Miraculously, I was able to get out of work and other obligations last-minute and head to Canada. Unfortunately, the late booking meant I had to fly from Denver to Vancouver, spend the night, and fly to Calgary in the morning before shuttling out to Golden, B.C. Even worse, the Vancouver airport seems designed to discourage overnight stays, and this was where I settled in for the evening.

After a very long travel day (including overloaded minivans, rockslide-induced highway delays, and a very slow dinner) we finally got to Golden, I caught a few hours of sleep, then it was time to pack up from the hotel.Continue reading →

Two months ago, today, Hans, Tracy, Markus, Lauren, and myself all gathered in Argentiere, just a short bus ride up the valley from Chamonix near the base of the Grand Montet ski area. Our goal: ski the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, by way of Verbier. It’s a trip we’ve all been thinking about for a long time, and this April it finally became a reality. All said and done, we spent a week in the alps, covering 42 miles and 20-something thousand feet of elevation gain. We came out with several hundred great photos; fortunately, Google just came out with a slick automatic story creator, which put this together: